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Bulgur

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Bulgur is a nutritious cereal food made from the groats of various wheat species. It is a staple ingredient in many cuisines across the Middle East and South Asia. The grain is known for having a light and nutty flavor. Because it contains the entire grain, the United States Department of Agriculture recognizes it as a whole grain.

bulgur
bulgur

This food is highly versatile and can be used in many different culinary applications.

The production of bulgur follows a specific sequence of processing steps. First, raw wheat undergoes parboiling, which is the process of partially boiling the grain. After parboiling, the wheat is de-hulled to remove its outer layers. The grain is then dried thoroughly. Finally, the dried wheat is cracked into smaller pieces.

Assyrian woman pounding Burghul
Assyrian woman pounding Burghul

This method transforms the raw wheat into a stable and ready-to-use foodstuff.

Bulgur comes in different textures depending on how much it is cracked. Coarse bulgur is often used to create thick pottages. Medium and fine grains are used for different purposes. Fine grains can be used for breakfast cereals or in pilavs. They are also used in breads and salads like kısır. Some varieties are even used to make dessert puddings such as kheer.

Bulgur2
Bulgur2

This food has a deep history that stretches back to the ancient Middle East. Food historian Gil Marks dates the origin of bulgur to approximately 4000 BC. This makes it one of the earliest processed foods ever created by humans. During the medieval period, bulgur was used to make kishk. Kishk is a preserve made by drying a mixture of yogurt and milk. Recipes for kishk appear in the 10th-century Arabic cookbook kitab al-tabikh by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq.

Bulgur is a significant part of the diet in several specific regions. In southern and eastern Turkey, consumption is very high. A 2007 study in the Journal of Food Engineering found that people there eat two to 2.5 times more bulgur than pasta or rice. The average person in these areas consumes 25 kilograms of bulgur annually. In the Levant, Arabia, Iran, and Iraq, the amount is even higher. In those regions, people consume between 30 and 35 kilograms per year.

Many distinct dishes rely on bulgur as a primary ingredient. It is a main component of kibbeh and the famous tabbouleh salad. In Cyprus, it is used to make a variety of kibbeh. This version is deep-fried with a crust made of fine bulgur, flour, oil, salt, and egg. The filling often contains ground meat, onions, parsley, and spices. Armenians prepare a pilaf using bulgur cooked in chicken stock. They may also cook it with tomatoes, onions, herbs, and red pepper.

The nutritional profile of bulgur is quite detailed. Cooked bulgur consists of 78% water and 19% carbohydrates. It also contains 3% protein and very little fat. Uncooked samples show different values depending on the source. Uncooked bulgur typically contains about 9% protein and 11% moisture. It also contains 70% starch, which includes 2 to 2.8% beneficial resistant starch. Additionally, it has 7% fiber, which is mostly insoluble fiber.

Bulgur2
Bulgur2

The word itself carries a history of linguistic movement. The term bulgur is the Turkish pronunciation of the Arabic word burghul. This Arabic word was ultimately borrowed from the Persian word barghul. While it was long unknown in North America, it arrived in the 20th century. It was brought to the continent by Armenian, Syrian, and Jewish immigrants. Today, it continues to be used globally in place of rice or couscous.

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